close
close

The rare comet seen in Colorado skies won’t return for another 80,000 years

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) will remain visible through October


Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) will remain visible through October

00:29

It’s been an incredibly busy year for space weather. Two massive solar flares led to the northern lights dancing throughout virtually the entire United States. A cometDiscovered last year, it will orbit Earth until the end of October and won’t return for another 80,000 years.

This week will be another busy week. Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) will likely remain visible to the naked eye through October 21, and the year’s largest supermoon will rise on Thursday.

cometprediction-1607437258770.png

CBS


Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (C/2023 A3) was discovered last year at the Tsuchinshan Chinese Observatory. The comet emerged from the Oort cloud, more than 93 million miles away, which contains icy debris. The Oort cloud surrounds our solar system.

“Although the comet is very old, it was not discovered until 2023, when it approached the inner Solar System on its highly elliptical orbit for the first time in documented human history,” NASA said. “The comet comes from the Oort Cloud, which scientists think is a giant spherical shell surrounding our solar system. It is like a large, thick-walled bubble made of icy pieces of space debris the size of mountains and sometimes larger.” lies well beyond Pluto and the farthest edges of the Kuiper Belt and may contain billions or even trillions of objects.”

The comet moves at a speed of about 150,000 miles per hour and has an orbital period of 80,000 years, making this a unique opportunity.

VIEWING THE COMET

The comet will be visible until October 24. However, the brightness halves every day and moves higher and higher above the horizon.

The best viewing conditions will occur about 45 minutes after sunset, just look west. As it becomes less and less clear, a telescope is recommended.